An evening of follies and a lesson in being prepared

[10-Ring]

Spend enough time in the woods and you will eventually endure a day when you seriously have to contemplate if you would rather be at work instead.  Yesterday was one of those days.  

I went out on my RZR with 200 pounds of corn to set out a new pig feeder.  I planned to be headed back home well before dark. 

I got the new feeder put together and loaded the corn into it.  At this point I realized that I forgot to bring new batteries for the feeder.  I had planned to go over to another feed site to retrieve my cellular camera and move it to the new feeder so I figured that I would borrow the batteries from that feeder.  I rode the 3 miles over to the other feeder and grabbed my camera and borrowed the batteries from the feeder.  As I'm about half way back to the new feeder I sense and hear a funny feeling/noise from the front end.  Got out to check and my driver's side front wheel was being held on by a single lug nut.  It seemed that the stud of the remaining nut was bent and the one next to it was broken.  I robbed 2 lug nuts off of other wheels and pieced it back together.  Thank goodness I had tools.  I proceed on to my new feeder site and set up the camera, it's way past dark at this point.  I was satisfied with the camera setup so I proceed back to the truck.  

While traveling a logging road going down the mountain I attempt to drive over a very large water bar that a logging crew had recently put in place and managed to high center the RZR so that neither the front or rear wheels were touching the ground.  Just a slight delay, I managed to winch myself over the water bar.  

Once over the water bar I'm about a mile and a half from my truck, but could more than likely get my truck to where I am if I absolutely had to.  Yay, that means I'll get to sleep in my bed tonight and not have to return tomorrow to retrieve this garbage machine.  A half mile from the "main road" my right front wheel just locks up.  

I have a whole lot of "Eff it" in me at this point, as I'm frustrated with this machine, my wife is aggravated with me as I was supposed to my home an hour before and she has to leave for work.  Our baby sitter had been at the house for 12ish hours and I was afraid she may be getting aggravated as well.  I decided to see if I could limp it to the main road and then walk the rest of the way to my truck.  I wouldn't have minded the extra half mile walk, but there is nowhere that I could get turned around with a trailer and at that point getting the RZR turned to load wasn't happening either.  1/4 mile hike to the truck, no biggie.  Loading was much more difficult than I thought with a frozen up wheel.  Had I not had a winch it would still be sitting there.  

As I'm winching the RZR onto the trailer I reach in my pocket to retrieve a shackle and feel a AA battery.  What's that?  Yup, forgot to put the batteries in the new feeder.  7 mile round trip back to the feeder, ain't going to happen tonight. 

I made it home in one piece and with all of the broken pieces of the RZR.  I was never uncomfortable.  I had on appropriate clothing, and had extra clothing.  Worst case scenario I would have likely abandoned the RZR and walked back to my truck. My wife relented when I sent her the picture of the RZR, as she probably just assumed that I was out running around in the woods having a grand ole time.  (No idea why she thinks that I would do something like that?) Babysitter was very understanding about staying late and was washing dishes when I walked in.  Gave her a generous tip for her inconvenience and understanding.  A few hundred dollars and I should have this machine going again.  Turns out the hub broke.  Not sure if that was before or after the initial lug nut issue.  I've owned motorcycles, boats, and campers, but this RZR is the biggest money pit of them all.  

Just before I loaded up at home

Finally ready to head back home 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[peejman]

Sounds like a fun afternoon in the woods. at least you didn't have to walk out in the rain. 

[RED333]

Wow, you had all the bad luck, hope it gets better.

[MacGyver]

Glory.